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In
5th century, Rome, mid- February was the time of the Lupercian festival,
an ode to the God of fertility and a celebration of sensual pleasure,
a time to meet and court a potential mate. In AD 496, Pope Gelasius
outlawed the pagan festival. But he replaced it with a similar celebration,
although one deemed morally suitable. He needed a "lovers" saint to
replace Lupercus. The saint Bishop Valentine was chosen as the patron saint of the new festival. Saint Valentine had been beheaded for helping young lovers marry against the wishes of the emperor Claudius. Before execution, Valentine himself had fallen in love with his jailer's daughter. He signed his final note to her, "From Your Valentine", A phrase that has lasted throughout the centuries. Pope Gelasius didn't get everything he wanted. The festival died out, it is true, but he had further hoped people would follow the lives of saints. Instead they a more romantic aspect of Saint Valentine religious life. While not immediately as popular as the more passionate festival, eventually the concept of celebrating true love became known as Valentine's Day.
Gradually, February 14 became the date for exchanging
love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. Sending
poems and simple gifts such as flowers and candy marked the date. There
was often a social gathering to commemorate the event. In the United States, Miss Esther Howland is given credit for sending the first valentines, which were introduced in the 1800's, and now the date is very commercialized. The town of Loveland, Colorado does a large post office business around February 14. The spirit of good continues as valentines are sent out with sentimental verse and children exchange valentine cards at school. The pastors of early Christian Church in Rome endeavored to do away the pagan element of the feast by substituting the names of saints for those of maidens. And as the Lupercalia began about the middle of February, the pastors appear to have chosen Saint Valentine's Day for the celebration of this new feast. So it seems that custom of young men choosing maidens for valentines, or saints as patrons for the coming year, arose this way. |
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